Album:
Memphis Slim & His House Rockers - The Come Back
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:36
Size: 127.3 MB
Styles: Piano blues, Early R&B
Year: 2002
Art: Full
[2:39] 1. Only A Fool Has Fun
[2:46] 2. The Come Back
[2:37] 3. Shuffleboard
[2:46] 4. Living The Life I Love
[2:36] 5. Cool Down Baby
[2:50] 6. Nat Dee Special
[3:06] 7. I Love My Baby
[2:40] 8. Two Of A Kind
[3:04] 9. Smooth Sailin'
[2:53] 10. 5 O'clock Blues
[2:14] 11. Stewball
[2:36] 12. The Cat Creeps
[3:10] 13. Call Before You Go Home
[3:03] 14. Back Alley
[2:41] 15. This Is My Lucky Day
[2:46] 16. The Come Back
[3:02] 17. Midnight
[2:53] 18. St. Louis Woman
[2:54] 19. 5 O'clock Blues
[2:13] 20. She's Alright
Like John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim was very much a label-hopper -- from the '40s to the '80s, it was safe to assume that the singer/pianist wouldn't stay at one label for too long. In the '50s, Slim did some of his best work for United, a Chicago-based indie whose catalog has since been acquired by Delmark (another Windy City label). Slim's United period of 1952-1954 is the focus of The Come Back, a 20-track collection that Delmark assembled in 2002. This is a blues CD that has both jazz and rock appeal. Slim, like Jimmy Witherspoon and T-Bone Walker, was always a very jazz-influenced bluesman -- his love of jazz comes through on vocal gems like "Call Before You Go Home" and "5 O'Clock Blues" as well as free-spirited, improvisation-minded instrumentals that include a previously unreleased performance of Arnett Cobb's "Smooth Sailin'." The jazz influence gave Slim's band a certain amount of urban sophistication, but not at the expense of grit -- being sophisticated and gritty at same time was never a problem for Slim. The House Rocker who does the most to give The Come Back some rock appeal is Matt "Guitar" Murphy, a tough, rugged electric guitarist who was never afraid to sweat.
These 1952-1954 recordings came just before the rock & roll revolution, and Murphy was the sort of bluesman who helped pave the way for that revolution -- you can be sure that many of the British Invasion rockers who emerged in the '60s were well aware of Murphy's high-volume guitar. Collectors will be thrilled to learn that The Come Back contains 11 previously unreleased tracks, but even those who aren't hardcore collectors will find that this CD paints an exciting picture of Slim's two years at United. ~Alex Henderson
The Come Back
Album:
Memphis Slim USA
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:47
Size: 130.0 MB
Styles: Piano blues, Early R&B
Year: 1962/1998
Art: Full
[2:58] 1. Memphis Slim U.S.A.
[2:50] 2. Sassy Mae
[2:58] 3. Little Piece of Mind
[2:41] 4. Got to Find My Baby
[2:19] 5. Banana Oil
[3:49] 6. Blue and Lonesome
[2:39] 7. Two of a Kind
[2:41] 8. She's Allright
[3:05] 9. Blues All Around My Head
[3:03] 10. Wish Me Well
[2:59] 11. Four Years of Torment
[2:59] 12. Gotta Find My Baby
[4:13] 13. Slim Was Just Kiddin'
[2:55] 14. Jive Time Bounce
[3:03] 15. Backbone Boogie
[2:59] 16. Memphis Slim U.S.A.
[2:40] 17. She's Allright
[2:55] 18. Blues All Around My Head
[2:53] 19. Blue and Lonesome
Memphis Slim's classic United label sessions from 1954 comprise this exceptional document of the master pianists work: 19 of the some 30 tracks he waxed during four sessions, and very well-produced, considering the time frame. A 24-year-old Matt "Guitar" Murphy contributes mightily, tenor saxophonists Neil Green and Jimmy Conley smoothly fill in the cracks, and bassist Henry Taylor and drummer Otto Allen keep thing nicely swinging along. As a blues pianist, Slim is in a class by himself. His tinklings, jazzy affectations, and distinct chordal punctuations are the mark of a true master. His singing is equally robust, occasionally wailin', but mostly in a storytellers' mode. Many of the tunes are old warhorses: "Blues All Around My Head" has two takes, one with unedited studio banter; "Blue and Lonesome" has more squawking before the slow melody line, while "Wish Me Well" is a patient boogie, if there is such a thing. Slim excels on loping, half-shuffles with horn complement, as on "Sassy Mae," "Two of a Kind," and the killer "Four Years of Torment." He plays celeste on another three, the hard swinging "Got to Find My Baby," and twelve-bar on "She's Alright" in the second take. At their roughest on "Slim Was Just Kiddin'," they can't decide what to do, settling on "Shake, Rattle & Roll." The T-Bone Walker influence definitely comes out for Murphy's instrumental features on the easygoing "Jive Time Bounce," and the out-and-out "Backbone Boogie." The calypso-informed "Banana Oil" is somewhat of an anomaly, but a delightful aside. This recording shows the complete prowess of Slim and his ability to lead a band. Murphy's spice makes it all that much tastier. A highly recommended CD, and an important historical bookmark in the career of an enduring legend of blues piano. ~Michael G. Nastos
Memphis Slim USA